Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Expansion of Federal quarantine area for citrus greening due to the detection in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Expansion of Federal quarantine area for citrus greening due to the detection in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Country: United States
Title: Expansion of Federal quarantine area for citrus greening due to the detection in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Contact:
Patrick Gomes, National Coordinator, Citrus Health Response Program, (919) 855-7313
Report:
On October 6, 2009, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,' or citrus greening (CG) or Huanglongbing, from three citrus plant samples collected from the University of Puerto Rico Agricultural Experiment Station, located in the municipality of Isabela, Puerto Rico. Subsequent surveys revealed the presence of the disease in the municipalities of Carolina, Ceiba, Culebra, and San Sebastian. APHIS and the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture continue to delimit the extent of the disease.
In response, APHIS is expanding the CG-quarantine area to include the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The insect vector responsible for transmitting this disease, Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), is also present in Puerto Rico. Interstate movement of citrus and other Rutaceous host plants and plant products of ACP are restricted.
CG disease is also present in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana (Orleans and Washington Parishes), and South Carolina (Beaufort and Charleston Counties). APHIS continues to work closely with State officials to further delimit the presence of CG, while assessing what other measures may be appropriate in response to these new finds.
Under IPPC Standards, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' is considered to be a pest that is present, only in some areas, and subject to official control to limit its spread in the United States.
Posted Date: Nov. 23, 2009, 9 a.m.